Air conditioning condensate drain line assembly

ABSTRACT

An air conditioning condensate drain line assembly. The assembly may include a paddle wheel that is rotatably disposed in a drain hole of a drain housing. The paddle wheel may inhibit contaminants from entering the drain tube.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This patent application relates to an air conditioning condensate drain line assembly.

BACKGROUND

A fitting part for an air conditioner drain pipe is disclosed in Japanese patent publication no. 2001-280648.

SUMMARY

In at least one embodiment, an air conditioning condensate drain line assembly is provided. The assembly may include a drain housing and a paddle wheel. The drain housing may have a drain hole that may have an inlet that may be adapted to receive a condensate. The paddle wheel may be rotatably disposed in the drain hole. The paddle wheel may be configured to inhibit contaminants from passing through the drain hole.

In at least one embodiment, an air conditioning condensate drain line assembly may be provided. The assembly may include an HVAC housing, a drain housing, and a paddle wheel. The drain housing may be fluidly connected to the HVAC housing. The drain housing may have an inlet that may receive condensate from the HVAC housing and an outlet. The paddle wheel may be rotatably disposed in the drain housing. The paddle wheel may permit condensate to flow through the outlet and may inhibit contaminants from passing through the drain housing and entering the HVAC housing.

In at least one embodiment, an air conditioning condensate drain line assembly may be provided. The assembly may include an HVAC housing, a drain housing, a drain tube, and a paddle wheel. The HVAC housing may have an outlet. The drain housing may have an inlet and a drain hole. The drain tube may extend from the outlet of the HVAC housing to the inlet of the drain housing. The drain tube may transport condensate from the HVAC housing to the drain housing. The paddle wheel may be rotatably disposed in the drain hole of the drain housing. The paddle wheel may have a set of paddles that at least partially to block the drain hole to inhibit contaminants from entering the drain tube. The paddle wheel may rotate about an axis of rotation in response to force exerted by condensate that flows through the drain hole.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an air conditioning condensate drain line assembly disposed in a vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a side cross section of the air conditioning condensate drain line assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary vehicle 10 is shown. The vehicle 10 may be a motor vehicle, such as a car or truck. The vehicle 10 may have one or more vehicle body panels 12, an air conditioning system 14, and a condensate drain line assembly 16. The condensate drain line assembly 16 is described below in a vehicular context, but may be employed in non-vehicular applications, such as a residential or building air conditioning system.

One or more vehicle body panels 12 may at least partially define a passenger compartment 20 of the vehicle 10. For example, a vehicle body panel 12 may be configured as a floor pan of the vehicle 10 and may separate the passenger compartment 20 from the environment surrounding the vehicle 10. The vehicle body panel 12 and may include a hole 22.

The air conditioning system 14 may be configured to cool the passenger compartment 20 of the vehicle 10. More specifically, the air conditioning system 14 may be part of a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system that may heat, cool, and circulate air in the passenger compartment 20. The air conditioning system 14 or HVAC system may include an HVAC housing 30 that may receive a heat exchanger, such as an evaporator core 32. The HVAC housing 30 may be at least partially disposed in the passenger compartment 20, such as underneath an instrument panel. The HVAC housing 30 may contain or extend around the evaporator core 32 and may be configured to contain condensate 34 that may be produced by the evaporator core 32. More specifically, condensate 34 may form on the evaporator core 32 when a refrigerant is circulated through the evaporator core 32. The condensate 34 may be shed off of the evaporator core 32 and may drain or drip into the bottom of the HVAC housing 30. An outlet 36 may be disposed in the HVAC housing 30 to facilitate drainage of condensate 34 from the HVAC housing 30.

Referring to FIG. 2, the condensate drain line assembly 16 may be configured to help condensate exit the vehicle 10. In at least one embodiment, the condensate drain line assembly 16 may include a drain tube 40, a drain housing 42, and a paddle wheel 44.

The drain tube 40 may fluidly connect the HVAC housing 30 to the drain housing 42. The drain tube 40 may have any suitable configuration. For example, the drain tube 40 may be configured as a hose, pipe, tubing or combinations thereof in one or more embodiments. The drain tube 40 may have a first end and a second end. The first end may engage or may be disposed proximate the HVAC housing 30. The second end may be disposed opposite the first end. The second end may engage or may be disposed proximate the drain housing 42.

The drain housing 42 may be fixedly positioned with respect to the vehicle 10 and vehicle body panel 12. For example, the drain housing 42 may be disposed proximate or may extend through the hole 22 in the vehicle body panel 12. The drain housing 42 may be made of any suitable material, such as a polymeric material. In addition, the drain housing 42 may have a unitary or one-piece construction or may be assembled from multiple components. The drain housing 42 may have a drain hole 50, a flange 52, and one or more retention features 54.

The drain hole 50 may extend through the drain housing 42 and may have an inlet 60 and an outlet 62. The inlet may be disposed proximate or may be coupled to the second end of the drain tube 40. As such, the inlet 60 may receive condensate 34 from the drain tube 40. Alternatively, the inlet 60 may be disposed proximate or may be coupled directly to the HVAC housing 30 if a drain tube 40 is not provided. The outlet 62 may be disposed opposite the inlet 60. In the embodiment shown, the the inlet 60 is disposed in the passenger compartment 20 and the outlet 62 is disposed outside of the vehicle 10.

The flange 52 may extend radially or outwardly from an exterior surface of the drain housing 42. The flange 52 may be disposed in the passenger compartment 20 and may engage the vehicle body panel 12 to help mount the drain housing 42 and inhibit leakage between the drain housing 42 and the vehicle body panel 12.

One or more retention features 54 may secure the drain housing 42 to the vehicle body panel 12. In the embodiment shown, the retention features 54 are configured as barbs that extend outwardly from the drain housing 42. The vehicle body panel 12 may be secured between the flange 52 and a retention feature 54 in one or more embodiments.

The paddle wheel 44 may be rotatably disposed in the drain hole 50. The paddle wheel 44 may be configured to rotate about an axis of rotation 70 and may include a shaft 72 and a set of paddles 74. The paddle wheel 44 may be generally disposed in the center of the drain hole 50 as shown in FIG. 2, or may be offset from the center of the drain hole 50 such that the paddle wheel 44 is offset from a center axis of the drain hole 50, or positioned to the side of the drain hole 50 such that not all of the paddles 74 are simultaneously disposed in the drain hole 50 or aligned with the drain tube 40.

The shaft 72 may extend along the axis of rotation 70 and may be mounted to the drain housing 42. For instance, the shaft 72 may have opposing ends that may be rotatably disposed on the drain housing 42.

The set of paddles 74 may extend from the shaft 72. Members of the set of paddles 74 may at least partially block the drain hole 50 to inhibit contaminants from passing through the drain hole 50 and entering the drain tube 40 and/or HVAC housing 30 as will be discussed in more detail below. In addition, the paddles 74 may help inhibit air leakage from the HVAC housing 30 through the condensate drain line assembly 16.

Members of the set of paddles 74 may extend from the shaft 72 toward the drain housing 42. A distal end of each paddle 74 may be disposed near the drain housing 42 to help block contaminants, yet may be spaced apart from the drain housing 42 to facilitate rotation of the paddle wheel 44. The distal end may be curved along an arc or have semicircular configuration in an embodiment having a circular or cylindrical drain hole 50. In at least one embodiment, each paddle 74 may extend radially with respect to the axis of rotation 70. Alternatively, one or more paddles 74 may not extend radially. For instance, a paddle 74 may have one or more curved exterior surfaces that cooperate to provide a paddle having a curved cross section. In addition, one or more paddles may be offset from the axis of rotation 70. The paddles 74 may also be spaced apart from each other. For instance, the paddles 74 may be spaced apart in a substantially uniform manner to help rotationally balance the paddle wheel 44. In addition, members of the set of paddles may be arranged such that each paddle 74 is disposed directly opposite another paddle 74 or member of the set of paddles to enhance contaminant blockage at multiple rotational positions.

The paddle wheel 44 may rotate about the axis of rotation 70 in response to force exerted on the paddles 74 by condensate 34 that flows through the drain hole 50 from the inlet 60 toward the outlet 62. Rotation of the paddle wheel 44 may allow for a larger volume of condensate 34 to pass through the drain hole 50 as compared to a fixed or nonrotating paddle wheel. Rotation of the paddle wheel 44 may also help dynamically remove contaminants from the drain tube 40. As such, the condensate drain line assembly 16 may be self-cleaning and may not require periodic maintenance or inspection like stationary components, such as a screen disposed in a drain hole that may become blocked. The paddle wheel 44 may also inhibit the entry of contaminants when the paddle wheel 44 is not rotating about the axis of rotation 70 due to the positioning of the paddles 74. For example, the paddles 74 may be disposed such that the paddles 74 block a majority of the drain hole 50 at various rotational positions while providing a small gap between the paddles 74 and the drain housing 42. The small gap or clearance may help inhibit the entry of contaminants. Contaminants may include dirt, debris, precipitation, as well as insects, arachnids (spiders), and spider webs. Insects and arachnids may be attracted to a condensate drain tube as a nesting location. Spider webs or other contaminants may impede or block the flow of condensate 34 through the condensate drain line assembly 16. Impeded or blocked condensate flow may inhibit condensate 34 from exiting the vehicle 10, which may in turn result in noise from condensate 34 sloshing in the HVAC housing 30, dampness in the passenger compartment 20, mold growth, odor, and/or water damage to HVAC and/or vehicle components.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An air conditioning condensate drain line assembly comprising: a drain housing having a drain hole that has an inlet adapted to receive a condensate; and a paddle wheel that is rotatably disposed in the drain hole, wherein the paddle wheel is configured to inhibit contaminants from passing through the drain hole.
 2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the paddle wheel rotates about an axis of rotation in response to force exerted by condensate that flows through the drain hole.
 3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the paddle wheel includes a shaft that engages the drain housing and a set of paddles that extend from the shaft.
 4. The assembly of claim 3 wherein members of the set of paddles are uniformly spaced apart from each other.
 5. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the shaft rotates about an axis of rotation and wherein each member of the set of paddles extends radially with respect to the axis of rotation.
 6. The assembly of claim 3 wherein each member of the set of paddles is disposed directly opposite another member of the set of paddles.
 7. The assembly of claim 3 wherein each member of the set of paddles is spaced apart from the drain housing.
 8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the drain housing includes a flange.
 9. An air conditioning condensate drain line assembly comprising: an HVAC housing; a drain housing that is fluidly connected to the HVAC housing, the drain housing having an inlet that receives condensate from the HVAC housing and an outlet; and a paddle wheel that is rotatably disposed in the drain housing, wherein the paddle wheel permits condensate to flow through the outlet and inhibits contaminants from passing through the drain housing and entering the HVAC housing.
 10. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the drain housing is spaced apart from the HVAC housing.
 11. The assembly of claim 9 further comprising a drain tube that fluidly connects the HVAC housing to the drain housing.
 12. The assembly of claim 9 further comprising an evaporator core disposed in the HVAC housing that generates the condensate.
 13. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the HVAC housing is disposed in a passenger compartment of a vehicle.
 14. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the drain housing is configured to be fixedly disposed on a vehicle body panel.
 15. An air conditioning condensate drain line assembly comprising: an HVAC housing having an outlet; a drain housing having an inlet and a drain hole; a drain tube that extends from the outlet of the HVAC housing to the inlet of the drain housing wherein the drain tube transports condensate from the HVAC housing to the drain housing; and a paddle wheel that is rotatably disposed in the drain hole of the drain housing; wherein the paddle wheel has a set of paddles that at least partially block the drain hole to inhibit contaminants from entering the drain tube and wherein the paddle wheel rotates about an axis of rotation in response to force exerted by condensate that flows through the drain hole.
 16. The assembly of claim 15 wherein the drain tube includes a flange that engages the drain housing and that is configured to engage a vehicle body panel.
 17. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the flange is disposed in a passenger compartment of the vehicle and wherein the drain housing extends through a hole in the vehicle body panel.
 18. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the HVAC housing includes a retention feature that engages the vehicle body panel to secure the drain housing to the vehicle body panel.
 19. The assembly of claim 18 wherein the vehicle body panel is disposed between the flange and the retention feature.
 20. The assembly of claim 15 wherein contaminants includes arachnids. 